Why should you expect such a valuable resource as a good C# course to be
free? Remember the old adage - "If it's free, it's probabl;y worth what you
paid for it."
I suggest you spend a small amount of money and get something that has
value. In particular, I suggest you purchase the book "Microsoft Visual C#
2008" by John Sharp, published by Microsoft Press (ISBN 978-0-7356-2430-06).
The cover price is $39.99, but it's available for less at Amazon and other
web sources.
Investing a few dollars is only the beginning. To learn C#, you'll have to
invest many hours in the learning process. Do as I did. Read through Sharp's
book fairly quickly to get a general idea of C#. Then go back to the
beginning and read through the book carefully, taking the time to type in
all the examples. Don't be satisfied by simply copying files from the
CD--you won't learn much that way.
When you've done that, you'll have a good basic understanding of C# and WPF.
Then you should purchase one, perhaps several, more advanced books and work
diligently through them. You'll find that each author explains matters only
partially. By comparing what the various authors have to say, you'll gain a
more complete understanding. At that point, set yourself the task of
creating a C# application As you develop the application you'll find out
what you don't understand and will need to refer back to your books and
notes, and also to Help.
One of the main problems you'll run into while learning C# is what words and
terms mean. Unfortunately, most authors use terms without defining them
adequately. And, even if a term is defined, in most cases, a book's index
doesn't refer you to the page that contains the definition I've frequently
suggested that all computer books should contain a glossary of terms that
briefly defines terms in the text. Unfortunately few books have such a
glossary. Although Visual Studio 2008 includes an expansive Help resource,
that resource has the same problem as many books--it uses terms without
defining what those terms mean.
While you progress in learning C#, I suggest you create a Word file in which
you record facts and definitions. If you do not do that, you'll inevitably
want to refer back to something you previously learned and be frustrated by
not remembering where to find that previous reference. I keep my information
in a Word table with two columns: key term, and explanation, so that I can
easily sort the table by key term.
Learning C# is not an overnight thing. Expect to spend many months of
dedicated time becoming familiar with, and competent with, C#. The time you
spend is worthwhile.
Gordon
